Election Day

We’re all tired of the campaigns and glad they will be over.  I feel sorry for the people in the swing states.  I’m sure they’ve had quite a bombardment of commercials and direct mail ads. 

I’d like to offer three points as we are on the big day. 

Democracy Is a Privilege

Most people in history didn’t have the ability to choose their own leaders.  In almost all the ancient governments, except Greece, democracy was not practiced.  You were ruled by a king or maybe some warlord who killed off his rivals and took power.  They were not subject to accountability of the people. 

And many today people don’t live under democracy. 

We’ve lived for in a communist country (Vietnam) for some years.  We were there during much of the Covid time.  Do you think the lockdowns and restrictions were bad in America?  Even the most power-loving blue state governor could not match what the communist party required.  For a while, groups meetings were limited to two people.  Later, no one was allowed to leave their dwelling for any reason (except, I suppose, for medical emergencies).  For a while, even getting food took some ingenuity.  

It was authoritarian.  The rules were handed down by the party.  Period.  

Many Vietnamese people wanted to go to America (this was not just because of the Covid rules).  It did not seem to me that their goal was to get rich.  They seemed attracted by freedom and opportunity.  

I felt blessed to have an American passport.  America, warts and all, is the envy of the world. 

But we sure complain a lot.  We need to take some time and count our blessings.  Our democracy, maddening as it can be, is heaven compared to what many people have to live through.  A lot of people would like to trade places with us.

Principles are Everything

I don’t care what race the candidate is.  I don’t care if the candidate is a man or a woman.  I don’t care if the candidate is highly educated or attends ribbon-cutting ceremonies or birthday parties.  I simply want the candidate to be as closely aligned as possible to the principles of God’s eternal truth. 

I’ve said before that I am a conservative.  By conservative I don’t necessary mean red vs. blue.  For me it means seeking God’s truth, his old eternal truth, and doesn’t go looking for new truth. Besides, there is no such thing as a new truth.  “…there is nothing new under the sun,” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). 

God’s will is clearly known on issues that have crossed over into the ‘political”.  These include the issues of life, sexuality, and justice.

But I’d like to devote a paragraph to justice.  Some things are promoted as ‘justice’ these days that are far from the biblical definition.  Justice does not mean letting criminals go free or defunding the police.  It does not mean turning a blind eye to mass illegal immigration at our southern border.  God allows governments to govern.  Biblical justice is a about “acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty,” (Deuteronomy 25:1).  It’s about doing right for the common good. 

I really think in earlier times the subject of politics was easier to deal with.  Not because the times seemed less contentious, but because America still had an agreed-upon worldview.  Though not everyone was Christian, there was still an implicit agreement that truth came down form God (or heaven, or a Creator or Providence).  Morals came down from a source that was higher than us.  Now, it seems that morals are anything that becomes socially acceptable.

Society may have gone astray but Christians should not.  Our source for what is right is the same as ever.  Psalms 19:7-8 comes to mind: “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.  The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.  The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”

So, we should vote for candidates on their principles, not their charisma or any other lesser things. 

Think of Voting as an Outworking of Your Christianity

Some seem to minimize Christian involvement in elections by saying “Jesus is my King,” (as if they don’t have to vote for a president because they already have a king).  Yes, Jesus is King, but we still live in a fallen world and have an earthly government to attend to.  When Jesus returns it will be different. 

I dread to think of how many evangelical Christians are sitting out of voting.  A Christian should not view elections as so worldly that they should be avoided.  Rather, we should look at it this way: it is because Jesus is my King that I will practice my faith by participating in elections.

Let us discern who among the candidates is closer to the biblical testimony.  No, we are not going to establish the Kingdom of God by means of elections; but our thoughtful Christian participation in elections is an outworking of the present Kingdom of God, which Jesus said is already within us (Luke 17:21).